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We're back in the Writers' Room for the Breakdown Webcast: Writing Ensembles! An ensemble film is different from most lone protagonist-driven movies because it has a lot of main protagonists (some who are depicted as supporting characters though) that have roughly the same amount of "screen time" and importance in the screenplay. During this webcast, we discuss the challenge of giving every character in your ensemble a human turn while placing them in the context of the narrative. We examine some of our favorite projects including PRINCESS BRIDE, PARENTHOOD, "BRIDGERTON", THE LORD OF THE RINGS, THE USUAL SUSPECTS, and more to see how the characters - and their goals - come together. We also discuss tips on how you can balance all of the characters in your ensemble piece while crafting compelling obstacles for them to overcome (either together or separately). Full Bio »
We're back in the Writers' Room for the Breakdown Webcast: Writing Ensembles! An ensemble film is different from most lone protagonist-driven movies because it has a lot of main protagonists (some who are depicted as supporting characters though) that have roughly the same amount of "screen time" and importance in the screenplay.
During this webcast, we discuss the challenge of giving every character in your ensemble a human turn while placing them in the context of the narrative.
We examine some of our favorite projects including PRINCESS BRIDE, PARENTHOOD, "BRIDGERTON", THE LORD OF THE RINGS, THE USUAL SUSPECTS, and more to see how the characters - and their goals - come together. We also discuss tips on how you can balance all of the characters in your ensemble piece while crafting compelling obstacles for them to overcome (either together or separately).
The Breakdown
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"That was great info Jason." - Becky B.
"Thanks, Jason! Great webinar! Can see several points to apply to what I'm working on now!" - Martha C.
"Jason, thank you. I am continually impressed by your skills." Tom H.
"Thanks, Jason. You really delve into your topics and your choices of movies to illustrate ensemble casts are brilliant." - Jill H.
Show, don't tell! We take a look at how screenwriters use silence in the horror film A QUIET PLACE, the caper film THE DEPARTED, the action-drama DRIVE, and the adventure of LORD OF THE RINGS.
Everyone loves a good thrill! In this webcast we will break down what makes Horror, Thriller and other genre scripts so appealing - and why they continue to dominate box offices around the world.
We're back in the Writers' Room for the Breakdown Webcast: Writing Character Introductions. This Breakdown topic comes from several writers who want to discuss the best ways to introduce characters within their feature and television scripts. So, we'll breaking down the scripts and clips from some of the most notable films and series to see how characters are introduced on the page - and on screen. We will also discuss tips on how you can introduce characters in a way that makes a great first impression - no matter if they are your protagonist, antagonists, or simply the goofy sidekick.
Many times in writing our projects do not have a strong enough inciting incident to effectively kick off the narrative. During this webcast we will look at moments everything changed for our protagonists and they were launched on their journey. Every event that happens subsequently will be traced back to this one monumental event. We will examine the inciting incidents of films as well as television shows and explain how they changed the world in an irreversible way. Examples include films such as Monsters Inc., Saving Private Ryan, "The Sopranos," "Breaking Bad," and more!
We're back in the Writers' Room for the Breakdown Webcast: Tackling Tone. Tone is the most elusive element of screenwriting. Particularly because much of the tone of a project is conveyed by much more than just the script. Tone is really the culmination of every artistic and aesthetic choice made during the production process from the screenplay, the angles of the camera, the choices the actors make, cinematography, pacing of a scene, music, costume design, and more. During this webcast, we discuss how to capture tone on the page in ways that you are able to convey a vision that can be interpreted by the other artists who will come to work on the project. We examine some of our favorite films and television series to see how tone was captured on the page and then realized on the screen. We also discuss tips on how you can achieve balance and clarity in your tone.
We're back in the Writers Room this afternoon for a special The Breakdown Webcast with Industry Veteran Producer and Writer, Laurie Ashbourne!Laurie Ashbourne is a writer-producer, artist, and script doctor with over 25 produced credits to her name and many in various stages of production right now, including a sitcom with Kenan Thompson, an animated feature with the director of MULAN, and an original story she wrote (10-31) was recently purchased and fast-tracked to production with acclaimed producers Eli Roth and Roger Birnbaum.